While a wide variety of Staphylococcus bacteria are known to exist, one particularly troublesome bacteria to man and animals is Staphylococcus aureus, an extremely common skin bacteria commonly referred to simply as "staph."
Occasionally, staph can get into the body and cause an infection. This infection can be minor (such as pimples, boils, and other skin conditions) or serious (such as blood infections or pneumonia). When S. aureus, which often lives harmlessly on mucous membranes, gains access to the bloodstream or deep tissue through a wound, incision or medical device, it can rapidly damage the heart, lungs, brain or joints, or poison the entire system. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicate that such more serious infections occur in one out of 1,400 hospital patients-a third of whom die as a result of the infection.
Methicillin is an antibiotic commonly used to treat staph infections. Although methicillin is very effective in treating most staph infections, a substantial percentage, on the order of 40%, staph bacteria have developed resistance to methicillin and can no longer be killed by this antibiotic. These resistant bacteria are called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The antimicrobial agent vancomycin has been used to treat many S. aureus infections, particularly those caused by MRSA. However, S. aureus now appears to be developing resistance even to vancomycin, as documented by recent cases in the U.S., France, Japan and China. There is therefore a need in the art for a non-toxic agent exhibiting bactericidal properties against common Staphylococcus bacteria and in particular against S. aureus.
The fungus Verticillium is a common mold found in agricultural settings that attacks more than 200 woody and herbaceous plant species, causing so-called "Verticillium wilt," which ultimately kills the plant. Although five different chemical soil fumigants are known for treating Verticillium wilt, three of the five (trichloronitromethane, methyl bromide and Vorlex) are toxic to humans and animals, and two (sodium methyldithiocarbamate and 1,3 dichloropropene) are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as potential human carcinogens. There is therefore a need in the art for a non-toxic agent exhibiting antifungal activity, in particular against Verticillium.